Chapter Sixteen
The next morning was Monday, and Miranda’s Candles was packed with customers. Miranda was actually able to pay Hephzibah and Sophia and Suki to make new inventory and man the cash register, and Suki had even suggested that they offer candle-making classes and set up a website. Creel had rebuilt her display case for her.
If only it could go on like this, Miranda thought, as she drove Sophia’s car into Granite Flats. But it couldn’t. She was the recipient of Benjamin’s charity, and Benjamin had betrayed her mate. It had to end immediately.
That meant she’d have to find another way to make a living. She’d always held down one kind of job or another, washing tables and waitressing and working as a clerk at stores. She couldn’t see herself living off Creel, and she couldn’t see herself staying home all day long with nothing to do. If she had cubs, it would be different, but she wasn’t going to rush Creel into that.
She hadn’t told Creel that she was coming to speak to Benjamin, because she’d thought he might either object or insist on coming with her, and she didn’t want him to do either. There was enough animosity between the two men already, and this was her issue, not Creel’s.
“Gramma?” she said, as she drove. She hadn’t seen her grandmother in almost a week now, since she’d used up so much energy, and she was starting to worry.
There was no answer. Could Grammy Edith have gone over to the other side? It was selfish of Miranda to want her grandmother to stay with her forever, but…damn it, she didn’t care. She wasn’t ready to let go of the crazy old lady yet. Grammy Edith had been her only friend, the only comforting voice, throughout her long, lonely adolescence.
She’d check around at the graveyard if Grammy Edith didn’t manifest soon.
Frowning, she pulled up in front of the Timberlane Lodge. Her claiming mark still stung, as it would for at least a few days, but she didn’t mind. It meant that Creel was hers. She was his. She touched the mark lightly with her fingertips, then parked and walked into the lobby to ask for Benjamin.
As luck would have it, he was standing in the lobby with Brandon, Brandon’s Omega Percy, and his daughter Dakota.
She stalked up to them. As Benjamin turned to look at her, his gaze lighted on her claiming mark.
“Congratulations, I think,” he said. “I’d say my brother got the better end of the bargain.”
“Hello, Miranda,” Brandon said to her. “May your cubs be healthy and strong.” That was the standard congratulations for a shifter who had just been claimed or who was pregnant.
And he’d even remembered her name.
She inclined her head in respect. “Alpha Prime.”
Dakota did a polite slow-clap. “Whoa, a civil greeting? Nice going, Dad.” And she smiled at Miranda. “Congratulations as well. If you need to borrow cub clothes, please let me know. My little monster outgrows everything I buy for him every couple of weeks, I swear to God.” She brushed some fur off her shirt with a laugh. “And he sheds everywhere. He’s at Cubs and Kits Playspace right now, learning not to bite his friends. I hope.”
“That is a very kind offer, thank you. I think we might not need any cub clothes for a while yet.”
Then Miranda turned her attention Benjamin. “It has to stop,” she said.
“What has to stop?” Benjamin looked bewildered. “Me saying congratulations?”
“Your charity. I cannot accept charity from the man who mated with his brother’s ex-fiancée.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Benjamin made a “T” for time-out sign with his hands. “What charity? What ex-fiancée?”
“You sent all those people to buy my candles because you felt bad about being a jerk to me. And you mated with Creel’s ex fiancée Jazmin.”
Benjamin shook his head. “My mate’s name is Phoenix. Right after Creel left, Jazmin broke into my house and announced I was obligated to be her mate, because Creel had supposedly abandoned her and she had the right to be married to an Alpha Prime. I knew that she was lying about Creel abandoning her. She just didn’t want to be with him unless all the pack lands and money went with it. I booted her out on her ass.”
Miranda stared at him in astonishment. “But…she came to Creel and told him that you had agreed to mate with her if he abandoned the pack.”
“And he believed her?” he snapped. “Without even checking with me?” She felt thick waves of anger rolling off Benjamin, and winced.
Brandon instinctively reacted by letting out a low warning growl, and his claws curved out. His eyes blazed with anger and he started towards Benjamin, without even thinking. Instantly Benjamin was growling and furry, although still mostly in human form.
Percy quickly stepped between them and placed his hand on Brandon’s shoulder. As Omega, he had the power to absorb some of his Alpha’s energy and dampen his rage. After a moment, Brandon and Benjamin both shook themselves and took a few steps away from each other.
Miranda shook her head. “You know, is this Alpha Prime meeting going to end in disaster? I don’t understand how you’re going to have several dozen Alpha Primes from all across the nation in the same room with each other.”
“Very carefully,” Brandon said. “We’ll have a few meet up with each other at a time, in separate rooms, with a secretary taking notes, for no more than half an hour. If the energy in the room gets to be too intense, the Alpha Primes can leave at any time. We’re also taking into account who’s got bad history with each other, and keeping those people separate.”
“Now, let’s get to the charity part,” Benjamin said. “I wasn’t sending charity your way, because I’ve got nothing to feel bad about. I had every right to make sure that you weren’t after my brother for his money or prestige. So what if I was rude? If you couldn’t stand up for yourself, you wouldn’t be the woman for Creel. I mean, he may be an asshole, but he’s my family. And therefore he’s my asshole.”
“Creel is your asshole?” Miranda raised an eyebrow. “So, to be clear, you have named your rectum Creel? Does your penis also have a name, or just your butthole?”
Benjamin choked back a laugh. “Damn. I do see why Creel likes you. And now, there is someone here who owes you an apology. Brandon?”
“I am an Alpha Prime. I am not in the business of handing out apologies,” Brandon said stiffly.
“How about explanations?”
Brandon sighed. “Oh, fine. I was the reason that your shop had no business. I had my pack members remove your flyers as soon as they put them up.”
“Dad!” Dakota spluttered, aghast.
“And?” Benjamin said.
“And I told my pack members not shop at your store.”
“Dad!” Dakota glared at her father.
“And?” Benjamin prodded.
Brandon scowled. “And I told them to spread the word.” He held up his hand before his daughter could yell his name even louder. “Don’t say it,” he said to Dakota, his tone somewhat defensive. “You know my history with the Coldwater Pack. And there were rumors that the Coldwater pack sent up a spy to sabotage the meeting, and I assumed it was her. I was trying to encourage her to leave the territory, and I prefer not to have to threaten a woman with actual violence. However, when Benjamin arrived here, he spoke to me and suggested that I investigate her thoroughly, since she was involved with Creel, so I sent out some inquiries.
“Dad! You’re such a dick!” he bellowed, and Dakota and Miranda both started. Brandon shrugged. “Just saving you the trouble,” he said to his daughter with a smile.
Dakota just glared at him. “This is not funny at all. You were messing up an innocent person’s livelihood. I am so sorry, Miranda,” she added huffily.
“Anyway, I found out that you are only half Coldwater, and you’re not actually crazy, you’re a ghost-talker, which is why your cousin Joseph wants to claim you. Apparently he thinks it makes you valuable.” Brandon had some pretty good spies, apparently. It wasn’t surprising; he was a political force to be reckoned with, all ac
ross the country.
Dakota’s eyes widened. “You can talk to ghosts?”
Miranda shrugged. “Only family members, unless I go into a trance, which is very risky.”
“That is so cool,” Dakota said admiringly, and Miranda felt herself relax a little bit. She’d been judged and called crazy for so long. Finally being somewhere where she wasn’t looked on as a freak felt like a dream come true.
“So, once I found out you’re not full Coldwater and you were probably not the spy,” Brandon continued, “I sent some pack members to your shop to buy some candles, and it turned out that your candles are of excellent quality, so word spread throughout the territory pretty quickly, without any help from me.”
“I am really mad at you right now.” Dakota scowled, folding her arms across her chest.
“You’ll get over it,” Brandon said cheerfully. “I’ve done worse.” He looked at Miranda. “I actually have a business proposition for you, which involves you going into business with my wife. Anthea, from the Stony Creek Clan. Her family has an apiary. You could make candles using their wax, and I could be your distributor and sell them to shops throughout the country.”
It sounded so tempting. With Brandon’s help, she could not only expand her shop, she could hire all of her friends permanently. She could build up a big, successful business in the south, and maybe start to attract more families there.
Still…she didn’t want Brandon to give her business just because he felt bad about screwing her over earlier. She wanted to earn her keep. “I really couldn’t take your charity,” she said regretfully.
“And I really wouldn’t give you any charity,” Brandon said. “Ask my daughter – I’m not that nice a wolf. I would sell the candles because I can turn a profit, and my wife’s clan will get richer, and she’ll be happy, and therefore I will get laid even more often.”
This was too much for Dakota. “Dad! I am your daughter, and I am right here!” she yelled furiously, punched him in the arm, and ran out the front door of the hotel.
Benjamin burst into laughter.
There were beads of sweat on his forehead, though, and he looked pale from the effort of keeping his energy in check.
“I should go,” he said, with a pained smile. “Too much Alpha Prime energy. I’ll just call you on the phone, Brandon.”
He left the room.
“Let me talk about it with Creel,” Miranda said. “I appreciate the offer.”
* * * * *
Creel was less than delighted when she went back to their house and told him that she’d been talking to his brother.
“I went to tell him to stop sending customers to me,” she said.
She told him about what had happened with Brandon. “Also, I don’t know if it matters to you, but your brother isn’t married to Jazmin. He’s married to someone named Phoenix.”
“Is that what he told you?” Creel snorted. “Because keep in mind, my brother is a traitor and a liar. He betrayed our own parents by making peace with their killers.”
Benjamin had seemed so sincere – especially because he’d made it clear that he did what he thought was right and didn’t care what anyone else thought about him. He had no reason to try to convince Miranda to sympathize with him, did he?
“Why would he lie about who he’s mated to?” Miranda protested.
“If he’s not mated to Jazmin, what is she doing here?” Creel retorted.
“What do you mean?”
A look of disgust curled Creel’s lip and wrinkled his forehead. As if he’d just smelled rotten meat that had been sitting in the sun for days. “I saw her in town yesterday. She was shopping at a fancy new clothing store in Granite Flats. I assume he forgot to mention that to you?”
“Yes, he certainly did.” Miranda shook her head in bewilderment. “But seriously, why would she be up here? You said she was greedy and wanted a life of luxury. Granite Flats and the Greenlands territory are about as far from that kind of lifestyle as you can get.”
Creel shrugged. “My brother’s always been the business-minded one. When I left, I never formally signed away my rights to our family inheritance. I’m sure Jazmin’s been bugging him to get her money.”
Miranda felt like an idiot for having believed Benjamin. Normally she was a good judge of character. “Wow. He seemed so sincere.”
Creel gave her a grim smile “He’s good at that.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I’m on my way to the meeting house to deal with your pack members once and for all. I went by their camp site, but none of the pack was there, so they must all be at the job site. I’m on my way there now to discuss their funeral arrangements.”
Miranda watched him go, with worry twisting in her stomach. There was no chance he’d lose, but still, her man – the man she loved – was heading off to a fight.
Chapter Seventeen
Creel parked his car in the town square, climbed out, and stalked towards the meeting house. Rage boiled off him, and he didn’t even try to contain it to spare the passersby. Everyone scattered, hurrying into buildings or running down side streets.
He’d warned these bastards. Told them to stay away from his mate. They’d had their chance; they should have left town. Instead they’d terrorized Miranda. His woman. His love.
Nobody hurt Miranda.
As he approached the meeting house, he saw Terrence, Clegg, Beauford, Franco, and Willy, all sitting on a bench, eating their lunch. There were several other members of the Coldwater Pack with them. They were cat-calling a woman who was walking by, screaming obscene suggestions at her. She quickened her pace, with a look of disgust, and hurried around a corner to get away from them.
Creel glanced at a wolf shifter named Bryan, who was standing nearby, on patrol.
“You let them act like that?” he demanded.
Bryan gave a weary, resigned shrug. “When I tell them off, Angrim gets all pissy and storms over here and tells me that I’m only assigned to guard the building. And if I take the time to tell these guys to behave themselves, I’m putting Alpha Primes and all shifters everywhere in the world at risk, because I’m neglecting my duties.”
“Sounds like Angrim. Dumbass,” Creel said in disgust, shaking his head.
“Well, they’ll be gone as soon as the building is finished,” Bryan said. “’Til then, I guess we have to put up with them.”
“I don’t,” Creel snarled. “I don’t answer to Angrim. And they threatened my mate.”
He stormed over to the group of men, who froze in panic when they saw him coming. As he moved towards them, he sent out a wave of rage so intense that Terrence, Clegg and Beauford doubled over and vomited.
Willy and Franco were sitting a little farther away. They clutched their heads in pain and fell to their knees.
Terrence bellowed “This is our chance. Get him, boys! We split the reward for Miranda!” All of them quickly shifted. Terrence, Clegg and Beauford charged towards Creel.
Willy and Franco tucked their tails between their legs and ran for their lives.
Creel had shifted before they reached him, tawny fur sprouting along his spine in bristling hackles and jaws distending with rows of deadly fangs. He snarled viciously as the three thugs threw themselves at him.
Even with three against one, they were no match for his Alpha Prime power, stoked by the deadly rage that simmered in his gut. These were the bastards who’d hurt Miranda, and now they were going to pay with their wretched lives.
With a powerful twist of his shoulders, he threw Beauford onto his back. The bullying son-of-a-bitch skidded across the ground and came to a halt in an inelegant heap, shaking his head muzzily to try to clear it.
Clegg leaped at him, but Creel was faster and stronger…and much angrier. He swiped the leaping wolf out of the air with one massive paw, pinned him to the ground, and with a single bite of his massive jaws, disemboweled the whimpering cur.
As Clegg’s eyes glazed over and the last blood-speckled breath left his body, staining his muzzle c
rimson, Terrence gave a terrified yelp and backed away.
Beauford had regained his paws, and his unsteady stagger towards the fight turned into a berserker charge. He flung himself forward, howling defiance as he came. Creel sprang towards him, all sleek, deadly muscle and smooth power, and met him in mid-air. He’d torn out Beauford’s throat before they hit the ground.
He turned on Terrence, teeth bared, and gave a low, interrogatory growl. His meaning was crystal clear. “Want some? Because I’ve brought enough for everyone.”
Terrence tucked his tail between his legs and fled, ears flattened against his head, leaving a trail of urine droplets behind him. The rest of the Coldwater Pack followed, hustling away and frantically signaling submission before Creel could send them to join their buddies.
Creel stood over the bodies of Beauford and Clegg, panting for breath and bristling all over.
Familiar scents drifted to his nostrils. Alpha Primes Miles Williams and Brandon Sheffield, also in wolf form, raced down the street towards him and stopped ten feet away. Miles was mated to Brandon’s daughter Dakota, father of her cub. He was the Alpha Prime of the western territory.
Angrim and half a dozen of his men, also in wolf form, came barreling towards them too. Angrim went to stand with Miles and Brandon, who tossed him a look of disdain that could be read quite easily, even in their wolf forms. They trotted a few feet away from him – enough to send the message, we’re not with you.
Creel glared at all of them, the fur on his back raised in an angry ridge. He met their gazes with defiance.
They all faced off against each other, snarling and growling, for a long, long moment until they finally shifted back into human form. The coppery scent of blood tainted the air.
“You attacked the construction crew,” Angrim growled, his eyes glowing red with rage. “You violated our agreement. All the Alpha Primes agreed that the construction crew is under our protection.”
His Curvy Mate (Alpha Prime Book 2) Page 11